On 22 January 2018, at about 2:30 am, an indigenous Marma girl, 17, was raped at her own home at Orachari village of Farua Union under Bilaichari upazila in Rangamati district allegedly by members of Farua Army Camp. During the same time, her younger sister, 15, was also sexually harassed by the men of the security force.
Notably, with an attempt to politicise the matter and to divert to different direction of this inhuman and heinous incident, Vice President of ruling Awami Leeague of Bilaichari unit Rasel Marma has organised a press conference in the name of “protest against torture by miscreants in Farua of Bilaichari” on 24 January at Rangamati Press Club in presence of victims’ parents who were brought by army from their house of Farua last night.
In a press release signed by Sajib Chakma, Assistant Information and Publicity Secretary of Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti, said that as soon as dark descended upon in evening of 21 January 2018, a patrol party of Farua Army Camp of Digholchari Zone of 13 Bengal, led by Warrant Officer/Subedar Mizan of the camp, began a random search operation in Orachari village. The patrol party stormed every house of the village indiscriminately. They arbitrarily interrogated the people and asked for their identity cards. The military men also harassed the villagers casting flash lights straight to their eyes.
At some point, around midnight, two army men entered the house of the victims and forced their parents to get out of the house. Then, one of them raped the young Marma girl while the other man in uniform guarded him with the gun in the door. Being at gunpoint, the parents of the girl turned helpless while the girl was being raped and screaming out loud for help. Shortly, the younger sister of the rape victim survived a rape attempt by the same army men.
Later in that night, some villagers informed Warrant Officer/Subedar Mizan regarding the matter. He assured them of punishment of the alleged perpetrators with the condition that the villagers will not disclose the matter to anybody else. The alleged perpetrator offered the victim’s father BDT 100 to give it to the victim. The father refused the money at once. Then the alleged army man asked the union council member, karbari and headman of the village to present Farua Army Camp the next day.
On 22 January in the morning, a team of army men made a visit to the victims’ home and threatened in various ways. They ordered the victims’ parents that they are allowed talk about occurrence of ‘some altercation’ but not of ‘rape’ at all. In any case that happens, they would be slaughtered.
On 23 January, during daytime, a team of government officials led by the Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) and Superintendent of Police (SP) made a visit to Orachari and spoke to the victims’ parents and local village leaders. In the video interviews they took, all the respondents were forced to speak what the army men asked them. In the night, at around 11:00 pm, the military men again went to the victims’ house but what happened during the visit remains unknown.
On 23 January at around 12:00 pm the victims were admitted at Rangamati General Hospital. Immediately, the local administration started to act upon the case. Since the evening, a team of police kept them under strong surveillance, without allowing anybody to visit or speak to the victims. At about 8:00 pm, two police men took the victims to the office room of the hospital and interrogated the victims without presence of any female nurse, doctor or female police. After interrogation, the victims were taken to their hospital beds again. Police ordered the nurses of the hospital not to provide the victims with any medicine or food without their (police) permission.
On 24 January, in the morning, a team of military men again went to the village and took the parents of the victims along with a local headman and a karbari to Digholchari army zone. The headman and karbari were released later in the morning while the parents of the victims were allegedly compelled to be present at the press conference organised by Ram Charan Marma alias Rasel at Rangamati town on 24 January at afternoon.
No case has been filed by the victims and their parents in connection to the incident with the fear of further harassment and retaliation. Victims’ parents live an ordinary life with nearly no formal education and political influence. They merely make their living on jum cultivation.
Besides, on 21 January 2018 at around 3:00 am, a group of army from Farua camp arrested two villagers, namely, Natun Babu Tanchangya (38) and Bhanda Tanchangya (33) from Farua area and handed them over to police. Again, on 22 January a group of army from Taktanala camp conducted a searching operation at Taktanala village under Farua union. It is alleged that at least 40 houses of the village were searched and valuables of houses were ransacked during the searching. In addition, 5 innocent villagers were apprehended and taken to Taktanala camp. They were released allegedly after inhuman torture.
It is worthy to be mentioned that recently, from December 2017, fabricated and conspiring cases against the innocent villagers and members of PCJSS are being filed one after another under collaborative move of ruling Awami League leadership, security forces and police in the Bilaichari, Jurachari and Rangamati Sadar Upazilas (sub-districts) under Rangamati Hill district. On the other end, the army-police joint forces are in a design that involves waking up the villagers at midnight, searching their houses, arbitrary beating and arrest in the name of searching operation in various locations under the said three Upazilas of Rangamati hill district. Till to-date, fabricated cases have been filed against 112 persons in name and 75-96 unnamed in the three Upazilas. In last one and half month since 7 December 2017, 28 persons including the Chairman of Bilaichari Upazila Parishad were arrested and sent to jail while 32 others were beaten up and harassed and 48 houses were searched. At this, extremely heightened panic is reigning over the areas.